Pvt. Thomas Davies is greeted by son Zackary, 9 months, and wife Tiffany at a homecoming in Kalamazoo, Mich., after a 10-month tour in Afghanistan.

Written by

Gregg Zoroya
USA TODAY

Military families and their advocates are battling an Obama administration proposal to limit troops' pay raises to 1% in 2014, the lowest increase in half a century.

The raise comes at a time when forces will still be fighting in Afghanistan.

"We're sending the wrong message to the ones who have worked the hardest in our country by the multiple deployments and family separations," says Michael Hayden, deputy director of government relations for the Military Officers Association of America. ...